lying down or standing on sand

Question
hello sir, why a horse is made to lie down or keep standing on sand when they get struck by colic?

Answer
Hi Rohit,

Thank you for your question.  I've never heard of a sand surface having any special ability to help in colic cases and I'm not familiar with making a horse lie down in the midst of a bout of colic.  Traditionally, colicky horse are kept moving in a gas colic to help move the gas out of the large intestine and are hand walked during an impaction colic because movement increases rate of passage which may help move the blockage.  I would see the benefit of allowing a horse with a torsion colic to rest and not move, as these horses are in a tremendous amount of pain.

Thanks, Corlena